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How to use free download manager to get more out of it

Probably the most powerful full featured yet free , The Free Download Manager , software which allows you to manage your download, organize, schedule , speed-up Internet file downloads and even make it faster when optimized. It supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP

Many of us are using in out day to day life but do we actually make the most out of it ? I have seen people using a software and they are very happy but on real terms we don’t harnesses the power of the software. What could be the reason ? probably we don’t explore it more.

If you don’t know , “Free Download Manager can speed up the downloads up to 400% in real time.In this post we will explore some important aspects of FDM ( Free download manager ) and get to know it better. Important features of Free Download Manager ( You should Know )

Download Modes

By default FDM takes maximum of you download speed when used and hence of you are browsing at the same time , the sites open slow.

So if you want to balance it out used the three different modes are available for download, Heavy, Medium and Light, which allow to download at fast speed, medium speed and slow sped respectively. Thus, allowing you to utilize your Internet connection as per your convenience, that is Heavy Mode utilizes the max of your Internet connection for download, leaving other processes at a slow speed, Medium and Light mode work respectively.

Quickly Switching to Light Mode

Now you don’t want to keep on switching from Heavy mode to light every time you browse. FDM gives you a direct option of switching to Light Mode as soon as you start browsing and goes back to previous setting as soon as you stop. Press CTRL + O to open the Download Options Menu and click on Network tab. You will find the option “Decrease traffic usage on browser activity”. You can also set the limits of download for all the modes here.

Mastering the Scheduler:

This comes very handy if you are downloading at night. FDM has an inbuilt scheduler which allows you to select any download and put it on a particular schedule ( may be to night or Friday night

Just right click on the file you are downloading and click on schedule or just click the Clock under options menu.

The tabs on the lower part of interface can be used to view progress, preview of media files (which allows you to check, if you are downloading the required file), feedback can be given for any particular file.

Exporting and Importing Settings and download list

In case you are re installing your OS and you still have some download left , FDM allows you to export all your settings, List of current downloads and history of downloads. Thus once you have optimized FDM for maximum download you just need to import these settings if you have to reinstall .

Creating a Portable version of Free Download Manager

If you want to use FDM anywhere on the move with installing an others computer, creating portable version is the best option. Check the above image for the menu location and this is what it can do

Portable version of Free Download Manager is for using it on different computers
without necessity to install and configure it on each computer.

You may place it on flash disk for example.

Once launched it will register itself in the computer’s system and integrates to
browsers. And at exit it will un register itself automatically.

Choose here the path where you would like to create this version. This should
be the folder on some removable drive.

E.G. “I:\My portable programs\”.

Guarding downloads with Antivirus

:Downloading from Internet might not be very safe if its a random site. Like downloading from torrent might contain viruses in zip files. FDM allows you to scan your files as soon as you download. ( Were you looking for this feature :D)

Press CTRL + O and open the options. Select All Downloads and at the end you will see the option where you can set your anti virus program. You might also skip some files like .TXT or .DOC as they are likely not be infected.

About Manav Mishra

here to write articles about things which are somehow related to computers, internet (and at times, may be, to blogging as well). He wants to make an Identity for himself, he loves, testing new softwares and services which can really help to improve the productivity of individual.

please tell me to have a proper settings with “upload traffic” for better download. please explain me seeds and mirrors and their setting all i want is maximum download speed not bothering browsing.

thank you.

Tom

Matt Gaffney

Manav,

I’ve just downloaded both “Free Download Manager” and “Software Informer.”

I know you’re familiar with FDM, but are you familiar with “Software Informer”?

I ask because I don’t understand either and I’d appreciate your help. I’m quite intelligent (member of Mensa), but, frankly, not particularly intuitive when it comes to software.

I’m a copyeditor and I think I could help you with your English. Your English is good, i.e., it’s certainly understandable, but it could be better. I say that because when native speakers of English realize that someone’s command of English is not as strong as their own, they tend to dismiss that person’s abilities. I know that that’s silly, but that’s how people are.

If you think that that’s a problem, I can change it for you.

If you’ll agree to help me with FDM and “Software Informer” (they’re supposed to work together to make my life much less burdensome), I’ll be happy to proof and copyedit your text.

@ Matt Gaffney, I haven’t used the Software Informer, so not very sure, well you please go ahead and and send an email using the contact page, tell me what you need, I will try to come up with some solution soon.

prasanta

I HAVE NEWLY INSTALLED FREE DOWNLOAD MANAGER. BUT AT THE TIME OF DOWNLOAD I HAVE FOUND NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WITH AND WITHOUT USEING FREE DOWNLOAD MANAGER.I THINK I HAVE SOME MISTAKE IN SETTING. SO PLS TELL ME INITIAL SETTING FOR INCREASING SPEED OF DOWNLOAD.

I’m second Prasanta on his testimony.
I on the other hand haven’t messed with any settings.
I left everything the way it was on default.

Any help/advice on how to efficently use this software would greatly be appreciated, thanks!

Wally Boyes

When I first used FDM when I wanted to download I right clicked on the file and the menu came up download with fdm for some reason this does not happen and I cannot choose where my download goes. What can I do to access FDM at download time?

Wally Boyes

Paul Shaffer

Well i have been a longtime user of fdm and i think it is pretty good.I have dial up and this speeds up my downloads and makes it feel like i have dsl.

When I first used FDM when I wanted to download I right clicked on the file and the menu came up download with fdm for some reason this does not happen and I cannot choose where my download goes. What can I do to access FDM at download time?

Wally Boyes =)

govishen

have u change ur browser because it does not work with every browser

Casper

Just wondering can FDM import multiple files at once?
Example if I have a group I want to download why does selecting all and right clicking, “Download all with free download manager” not work?

Casper

Jase

hi, first off, i love FDM, great tool.

HOWEVER, sometimes it “loses” the files.
they are in the downloaded list, and I can run them.
BUT they are not in the downloaded path in windows explorer.

this is not a problem with PDFs, because i can just open it, and save a copy within acrobat.
but with exe’s, that doesnt work.

i tried moving the file to a new folder in fdm. it “thinks” the file has been moved. but it isnt there when i look.

HELP!!!!
this is driving me nuts.

and of course, murphys law is in full effect.
i downloaded an entire DVD of content (free s/w DVD, limited time offer) but when i went to find it in explorer, it wasnt bloody there!!! 10 hrs wasted.

best regards,
Jase

PS —
i am on latest version, did the update within FDM and it said i have latest version already. sigh…

Mikhail Enver

How can I download mp3 albums and turn it into files? Please, please, please reply. I need step by step instructions on how to download mp3 albums. Please respond…

lhamu

something has gone wrong with my FDM. All of a sudden it has stopped downloading my .exe files, 3gp files, rar files and any other heavy files. these files could be easily downloaded earlier. i have even formatted my pc but its not helping. plzzzzz helppppppppp……..

Peter

Hello. My name is Pete. I just wanted to point something out to “Matt Gaffney” from above:

BEGIN QUOTE OF ORIGINAL NOTE:

Matt Gaffney said:

(I am quoting part of the note only.)
“I’m quite intelligent (member of Mensa), but, frankly, not particularly intuitive when it comes to software.”

“I’m a copyeditor”

:END QUOTE OF ORIGINAL NOTE

Matt,

I see here you are quite the “Brain” by today’s standards. Unfortunately, if you really are a member of MENSA, they are sorely lacking in their recruitment methods these days.

First of all, to be a member of MENSA you have to be exceptionally intelligent. If you were that intelligent, you’d realize that your parenthesis contain a phrase, not a sentence, therefore you would not have capitalized the first letter of Mensa as if it were a proper noun rather than an acronym. Further you make extensive unnecessary use of commas throughout your statement. If you were a “copyeditor” you would know that the term “copy editor” would be expressed as two words rather than one. As well a copy editor would (or should) have better command of the written language and would use punctuation only where appropriate.

The point of my statement is not really to belittle you, however. Rather I mean to point out that you should not be correcting any person’s use of the English language. You can not possibly make a person “seem more intelligent” when your own use of our native language is not intelligent.

If you are wondering about my qualifications to make these judgments, I am a news writer and reporter. I graduated from my second college at age 19. I was founder of three small organizations by the time I was fifteen years old, all three of which are still going strong. I taught computer programming to business persons in 1980 at the age of 13.

Have a nice day.

Ross

I would like to know how to force FDM to use the mirrors that I have added? In order to download the file from multiple locations and therefore at a faster speed. Thanks in advance

Arsalanali

is there any way that i can configure FDM to start downloading automatically as soon as some video or audio is played or i click on download link…???? as this is default setting in IDM…